Show ILLINOIS MEN WIN BONUS supreme court upholds uphold act providing for the allowance of fifty cents per day the close relation existing between the services of the individual soldier of the world war and the general welfare of the state gives rise to a claim appealing to a universal sense of fairness and justice declared the opinion of the supreme court of illinois in upholding the bonus act of that state the court was unanimous on the constitutionality of the act and by this de decision ciston paves the way tor for ex service men and women to obtain a tate state bonus the illinois act provides for the payment of 50 cents per day tor for each day of service in the army navy or marine corps the maximum payment which any veteran may draw Is to pay the veterans a bond issue of has been made and will be sold old immediately palmer D edmunds chief clerk of the board which passes on the bonus applications has estimated that payment will begin about july 1 and that the former sol idlers diers will be paid at the rate of approximately a month applications to the number of are already on file with the board the case in supreme court a friendly suit brought by the father of a legion man of springfield ill attracted much attention it was the contention of the attorneys for the appellants pel lants that the law violated the con by granting extra compensation after public service had bad been rendered the opinion of the court written by chief justice thompson and without a dissenting vote held that the recipients of compensation in the case did not come within this specification of the constitution they the opinion said bald do not stand in the relation of a public officer agent servant or contractor of or with the state I 1 and that the section has no application here the activity of the american legion in assisting the securing of the passage of the illinois act Is well known the organization was called ou on to write the act and was at all times active in moving toward its passage ort oa the eve of the election by which the voters of the state approved the bond issue to pay compensation the organization staged a demonstration abrou throughout bout the state that won thousands of votes under advice of the legion the ruling was anade by the bonus board that all service should be compensated at the specified rate until 1020 1920 the previous acceptance had been for service actually rendered before the armistice |